1. Technical Field
This invention relates to fluorescent lighting apparatus of the type utilizing elongated fluorescent tubes in or on fixtures mounted on the ceiling of an enclosure to be illuminated thereby.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior fluorescent lighting apparatus, such as used in commercial applications, including retail stores and the like, have generally utilized two or more fluorescent tubes positioned in side-by-side relation on or in a fixture usually having a white painted reflective surface, the fixture being mounted flush on the ceiling of the commercial structure with the fluorescent tubes exposed to insure the delivery of as much light as possible downwardly therefrom. A typical prior art liminaire is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,159,352 wherein an improved refractor is positioned below the fluorescent tubes for improving the distribution of the light output therefrom. U.S. Pat. No. 3,829,677 also illustrates a multiple tube fluorescent fixture and discloses the use of reflectors taking the form of elongated shells of parabolic cross section. Various patents relating to reflectors for fluorescent tube light sources may be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,242,725, 4,388,675 and 4,499,529. U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,576 discloses an improved reflector means whereby the light from one of a pair of fluorescent light tubes is directed toward a diffusion plate with the object of increasing the light delivered to the diffusion plate sufficiently that one of the two fluorescent tubes can be eliminated. Similar improved light reflectors for fluorescent tube fixtures in which one or more of the original fluorescent tubes may be removed may be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,403,275, 4,536,830 and 4,564,888. The present invention substantially improves the light delivery of a fluorescent tube light source by utilizing a reflector having mirror reflective surfaces with several reflective surfaces arranged to direct the reflected light in a substantially wide overall pattern that has the visual appearance of a wide light source rather than the narrow tubular source.